Tie plate



W. S. BOYCE TIE PLATE \N vwToR WQLL\AM S. BOYCE Filed Nov. 14, 1954 ATTYs Patented Apr. 28, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in the design of tie plates such as are used in railroad track construction. Such tie plates, in general, comprise metal plates interposed between the base of a rail and the wood tie, and the main functions of such tie plates are to protect and preserve the tie from mechanical wear, cutting and other destruction incident to the normal movement of the rail, and to maintain rail gauge, i. e., to prevent rail spreading.

Modern railroad track construction tends increasingly to adz the ties by machine either before or after laying of the tie, with the result that substantially flat surfaces are provided on which tie plates ar placed.

Such mechanically prepared flat surfaces permit a plate to engage the tie surface over the entire area of the plate so that the latter will be firmly seated on the tie. With the advent of such mechanically prepared surfaces and full seating of plates, there has been a marked tendency for railroad engineers to employ essentially flat bottom tie plates rather than various forms of cut-away or arched bottom plates such as typified by my Patents Nos. 1,538,773 and 1,587,751. However, conventional flat bottom tie plates are open to serious objection of excessive weight, cost, and lack of gauge holding power.

Therefore, an important object of the present invention is to provide a tie plate which will have the advantage of tie engagement distributed over its entire area so as to closely approximate the elfect of a conventional flat bottom plate but of such metal distribution and construction that the weight of the plate may be materially reduced without proportionately sacrificing strength; to provide such a plate which will have adequate holding power to prevent rail spreading; to provide an improved plate structure of the type indicated which will be a commercial practicality from the rolling-mill production standpoint,in other words, a plate which may be produced with a very low expense for roll cost and roll up-keep; and in general, it is the object of this invention to provide an improved tie plate of the type indicated.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be understood by reference to the following specification and accompanying drawing, wherein there are illustrated several forms of tie plate construction embodying the present invention.

In the drawing- Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 are bottom plans;

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1;

and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary section corresponding to a portion of Fig. 5 but illustrating a modified arrangement.

Referring now to the drawing, it will be seen that the present invention contemplates the provision on the bottom of the tie plate of a plurality of relatively narrow but elongated bosses, each of which is so shaped in cross-section as to have a wide, preferably but not necessarily flat, bottom area for engagement with the surface of a wood or other tie. The bottom surfaces of the elongated bosses are preferably disposed in a plane common to all, as will be seen from inspection of Figs. 5 and 6 and their combined bottom area constituting the initial or primary tie-bearing area of the tie plate.

In Fig. 1, the bosses are arranged in longitudinally extending rows in which the bosses are alternately arranged in longitudinally and transversely extending relation to each other. Thus it will be seen that the bosses designated Ill extend longitudinally of the plate, while the alternately disposed bosses I l in the same row extend transversely of the plate. The longitudinal rows of bosses are staggered relative to each other so that the transversely disposed bosses ll of one row are, transversely of the plate, in alignment with the longitudinally disposed bosses of the adjacent rows.

On the top of the plate, there is the usual rail seat designated 12 and a shoulder I3 which is adapted to engage the side edge of the base flange of the rail. The said shoulder defines one edge of the rail seat 12, while the other transverse edge of the rail seat is located in this instance at the intersection between the rail seat l2 and the inclined top surface M of the end portion of the plate. In Fig. 5, the intersecting point is designated l5. If desired, a shoulder similar to the shoulder I3 may be provided at the edge 15 of the rail seat.

It will be seen that the arrangement of bosses is preferably such that a transversely extending row of bosses is substantially centered under each edge of the rail seat l2. In this manner, the reinforcing effect of the bosses is advantageously utilized in the zones of greatest stress in the plate.

In Fig. 2, the boss arrangement provided includes substantially parallel, spaced longitudinally extending rows of elongated and longitudinally aligned bosses I6 and transversely extending rows of elongated and longitudinally aligned bosses 11. The longitudinally extending rows of bosses are preferably spaced approximately the same as the indicated spacing of the transverse rows of bosses. The ends and sides of the bosses preferably merge gradually into the main bottom or secondary, substantially smooth tie-bearing area 18 of the plate without forming any sharp corners and they are separated from one another at their ends by at least a small width of the main bottom area, as indicated at I8 The relatively independent or separated arrangement of the bosses just explained is advantageous, in that it eliminates a point of mechanical difficulty which has almost invariably attended the production of tie plates with intersecting rib arrangements. Such difiiculty resides in the maintenance of rolls for pro ducing the structure, which rolls, when channeled to make intersecting ribs, are inherently weak at the points of intersection and frequently break down by spalling and chipping, with the resultant waste of roll life incident to the necessity of redressing the rolls. The improved construction herein described avoids such difficulty, thereby increasing production, prolonging roll life, reducing the roll maintenance cost and consequently the cost of the plates produced. Elimination of the said defect also avoids costly delays incident to roll changes and in the fulfillment of orders for tie plates and hence is conducive to economy in mill operation. Another important advantage of the structure is the saving of metal and reduction of tie plate weight incident to the spaced boss arrangement. Such metal saving may be augmented by suitably recessing the bottom of the plate intermediate the bosses.

In Fig. 3, an arrangement is shown which embodies longitudinally extending rows of elongated longitudinally aligned bosses and similar transversely extending rows which are arranged so that their bosses are interposed between the ends of the bosses in the longitudinally extending rows. The bosses in the longitudinally extending rows are designated Hi and the bosses in the transversely extending rows are designated H.

In Fig. 4, there is shown an arrangement of rows of elongated and longituldinally aligned bosses, the rows being arranged diagonally of the plate.

By reference to Figs. 2, 3 and 4, it will be seen that despite the variation in arrangement, some of the bosses are arranged in transversely extending rows which are substantially centered under the edges l3 and iii of the rail seat. As previously mentioned, this arrangement provides strength in the zones of greatest stress and for this reason is desirable.

In Fig. 6, a boss arrangement similar to that shown in Fig. 3, is illustrated as applied to an arched bottom and recessed end plate of the type shown in my patent No. 1,587,751. One edge of a rail seat l2 is indicated at I5 and the plate is provided with a thickened portion in line with said rail seat edge, such thickened portion being provided incident to the arching and recessing of the plate bottom. A transversely extending, rela tively narrow and preferably blunt rib l9 may be provided on the bottom of the plate beneath the edge l5 of the rail seat, such rib serving to initially hold the plate against longitudinal movement on the tie. Such a rib may of course be provided under each of the transverse edges of the rail seat as shown in my said patent No. 1,587,751. Such ribs, if provided, serve to initially hold the plate against shifting longitudinally of the tie until the described multiplicity of segments become embedded incident to the loadsimpressed on the plate by passing trains. Of course it is understood that transverse ribs such as mentioned may be initially embedded by a few blows with a sledge hammer or by being positioned in grooves preformed in the tie, both methods being in more or less common practice. The depth of the ribs may of course be varied to suit specific requirements and its total depth would equal the depth of the bosses or segments, plus whatever additional amount of ribs depend below the bottoms of the bosses. Hence, a fairly deep rib would require only a relatively small projection below the bottoms of the bosses.

In the plane of the section typified by Fig. 6, there appear bosses 20 and 2! which are elongated and extend longitudinally of the plate and the boss 22 which is elongated and extends transversely of the plate. The bosses 20 and 2| merge into the initial tie bearing bottom areas 24, 24 on opposite sides of the rib I9. The said bosses 20, 2| and 22 represent one row of bosses extending longitudinally of the plate, the transversely extending elongated boss 22 being disposed substantially centrally of the plate. The next row of bosses, as indicated in Fig. 6, would embody transversely extending, elongated bosses 25 and 26 and the longitudinally extending elongated boss 27 disposed in the center of the plate bottom. The middle of the plate represented in Fig. 6 is indicated by the line 28 and it will be apparent that in longitudinally extending sections taken in planes passing through the respective rows of bosses, the plate bottom design will appear symmetrical. Thus it will appear that the described boss arrangement may be applied not only to flat bottom plates, but also to the bottom of plates embodying other shapes and designs, for example such as shown in my patents Numbers 1,583,773 and 1,587,751.

It is preferable that the plate bottom be free from any sharp, tie fiber cutting edges and hence the peripheral edges of the bosses are dulled or rounded and the bosses are merged into the bottom surface of the plate by mild curves which will facilitate embedment of the bottom bosses into the tie without cutting or chewing the tie fiber, with consequent impairment of tie life by decay incident to absorption and retention of moisture which is facilitated when the tie fiber is cut or broken.

While the bottom surfaces of the bosses shown in the drawing constitute a material portion of the plate bottom area, they nevertheless are readily embedded in the tie. It will be seen that when a plate embodying the present improvement is first placed on a tie, the entire load is transmitted to the tie through the bosses. Since the load is initially more or less uniformly concentrated in the limited tie bearing areas of said bosses, it will be seen that the plate will be quickly embedded until its secondary bottom area designated l8 engages the tie, whereupon the load will be uniformly distributed over the entire bottom area. The relatively independent or detached bosses serve to effectively interlock the plate and the tie so as to prevent lateral shifting of the plate, both transversely and longitudinally of the tie and hence afford adequate and effective holding power to prevent rail spreading. Embedment of the plate, after the plate bottom area I8 engages the tie surface, is desirably retarded as an incident to the tie-hardening effect resulting from the compacting of the tie under the bosses. If preferred, embedment of the plate may be retarded from the initial seating thereof on a tie by suitably enlarging the tie engaging areas of the bosses.

By way of an example, an 8" by 12" tie plate having 96 square inches of area on its bottom may be provided with bosses or segments having about one-half of said area in their combined, initial tie-bearing area. The remaining portion of said area would then be present in the secondary or final tie-bearing area of the plate bottom.

The segments in the foregoing example may be made to measure 1" by 3", so that each will have an area of 3 square inches. In that case, the tie plate would probably have 16 segments each provided with a total initial tie-bearing area of 48 square inches. In another arrangement, the segments may be made to measure 1" by 2" to have 2 square inches of tie-bearing area in which case 24 segments would probably be provided.

The examples above given are not intended to restrict the scope of this application to the specific proportions stated, but are given merely to illustrate hoW the load may be distributed over the plate area while at the same time obtaining the benefits of adequate initial holding power by means of embedment of the segments, which is adapted to be quickly effected, effective interlocking of the tie plate and tie to provide adequate holding power to prevent railspreading when the plate is fully embedded, while also providing a tie-protecting instead of a tie-damaging tie plate arrangement.

Because of the row arrangement of bosses, the latter may be called segments in that the bosses are, in effect, parts cut off or divided from other parts of the same row. The term segments may also be aptly applied to the bosses for the reason that although they are all integrally connected as a part of the tie plate, they constitute specific parts which are separated or divided from each other and separately distinguishable parts of the plate.

The various arrangements herein shown are typical of numerous arrangements which might be provided, and changes may be made in the constructions and arrangements described. Therefore, the. scope of the invention should be determined by reference to the following claims, the same being construed as broadly as possible consistent with the state of the art.

I claim:

1. A tie plate adapted to be seated on and embedded in a tie and provided on its bottom with a plurality of relatively independent, elongated,

depending segments having substantially coplanar initial tie-bearing surfaces, said segments being so spaced from each other a substantial distance as to avoid intersections or junctions therebetween and so as to form, when embedded in a tie, tie projections of substantial size having edgewise engagement with said segments, thereby to afford effective holding power against lateral shifting of the plate relative to the tie, and said segments having their peripheral tie-bearing surface edges dulled and being gradually merged into the bottom of the plate whereby the plate is adapted to be embedded in the tie with a tiefibre compacting eiTect substantially without cutting the tie-fibre.

2. A tie plate adapted to be seated on and embedded in a tie and having on its bottom surface a plurality of depending, elongated segments provided with tie-bearing bottom surfaces, some of said segments being arranged in longitudinal alignment in substantially parallel spaced rows, other of said segments being arranged in similar rows extending transversely of said first-mentioned rows, said segments having their tie-bearing surface edges dulled and being gradually merged into the plate bottom so as to be adapted to be embedded in the tie with a tie-fibre compacting effect substantially without cutting the tiefibre, the segments in each row having their ends spaced from each other and the ends of the segments in the transversely extending rows being spaced from the segments in the first-mentioned rows, whereby the mill roll required for rolling the plate bottom is free from weak corner formations.

3. A tie plate adapted to be seated on and embedded in a tie and provided on its bottom surface With a plurality of depending, elongated segments having substantially coplanar tie-bearing bottom surfaces, said segments having their tiebearing surface edges dulled and being gradually merged into the body of the plate so as to be adapted to be embedded in the tie with a noncutting, tie-fibre compacting action, some of said segments being arranged in longitudinal alignment in substantially parallel spaced rows, the adjacent ends of the segments in each row being also spaced from each other, other of said segments being arranged in similar rows extending transversely of said first-mentioned rows, and said other segments having their ends spaced from each other and from the segments in said firstmentioned rows.

4. A tie plate adapted to be seated on and embedded in a fibrous material tie, provided on its bottom with a plurality of depending segments and distributed substantially uniformly over the entire area of the plate and thereby adapted to initially, uniformly distribute loads applied to the plate to a corresponding area of the tie, thereby to avoid excessive localized stresses on the plate, the segments being so spaced from each other as to avoid intersections therebetween and to form on the tie when embedded therein, tie projections integrally connected edge to edge, occupying the spaces between and of larger area than said segments, whereby said tie projections are capable of effectively cooperating with said segments to resist lateral shifting of the plate on the tie, the cross-sectional shape of the plate being such as to permit production of the plate by rolling strips of said cross-sectional shape and shearing predetermined lengths from said strips, said distribution of the segments being such that the tie plate lengths sheared from such strip will embody segments distibuted practically uniformly over the entire. plate bottom regardless of the location of the line of shearing relative to said segments.

WILLIAM S. BOYCE.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 2,038,922. April 28, 1936.

WILLIAM S. BOYCE.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 1, first column, line 25, for the patent number "1,558, 775" read 1,585,773; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 26th day of May, A. D. 1956.

Leslie Frazer (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

